Cameron, 31, has been a regular for Stoke since arriving in 2012 from Houston Dynamo in Major League Soccer and he will become the first U.S. outfield player to play in eight-straight seasons in the PL if he sees out his contract at the bet365 Stadium.

The new deal for the Boston native came off the back of a strong second half of the season in central midfield after he missed almost four months with a serious knee injury he suffered in October.

Cameron was named Man of the Match for Stoke in their PL games against Liverpool and Chelsea in narrow home defeats and his play as a holding midfielder made his re-signing a top priority for manager Mark Hughes and the Stoke board as advanced stats company WhoScored rated Cameron as Stoke’s best player this season.

So, with the USMNT veteran ready to roll for the upcoming 2018 World Cup qualifiers against Trinidad & Tobago and Mexico on June 8 and June 11, should Bruce Arena consider using Cameron in the holding midfield role he’s been excelling in for Stoke?

He should, but if he takes Cameron out of his central defense role alongside John Brooks, who slots in? That’s the dilemma facing Arena.

There’s no doubt that the USMNT’s best defensive lineup is DeAndre Yedlin at right back, Cameron and Brooks in the center and Fabian Johnson at left back, yet Cameron’s qualities as a destroyer who can possess the ball and spring attacks would see him make the U.S. midfield stronger.

My mind always casts back to a World Cup qualifier against Panama in Seattle in 2013 when Cameron and Michael Bradley were partners in central midfield. They dovetailed perfectly and Cameron snapped in the tackles, provided a shield to the back four and allowed Bradley to roam further forward where he does his best work unlocking defenses and linking midfield with attack. Both also had key roles in a goal each as their poise on the ball seems them find one another easily.

For these crucial World Cup qualifiers it would be a gamble to take Cameron out of the backline, especially given his superb displays at the 2016 Copa America Centenario last summer, plus his heroics in the CONCACAF playoff against Mexico in October 2015.

If Cameron is pushed into midfield alongside Bradley it would make sense as Jermaine Jones, a favorite of Bruce Arena, is likely to miss the qualifiers through injury. Tim Ream, Steve Birnbaum or Matt Besler could slot in alongside Brooks in central defense and you would arguably make the U.S. a stronger defensive unit with Cameron shielding them.

It may not happen, but switching Cameron to defensive midfield, his natural position, should be something Arena considers heavily in the crucial qualifiers coming up.

You’ve read his reports from the hallowed grounds of the Premier League, hung out with him during Facebook Lives outside those same stadia, and now there’s a new way to interact with ProSoccerTalk‘s lead writer and editor.

Joe Prince-Wright is now bringing you #AskJPW, a place to quiz the whiz on every aspect of the Premier League, and the goings-on around it.

Ronaldo added another four goals in Madrid’s 6-3 win over Girona on Sunday, giving him 22 for the season. That is only three below Messi, who scored his 25th in Barcelona’s 2-0 win over Athletic Bilbao.

“Hopefully he can catch him,” Madrid coach Zinedine Zidane said of Ronaldo. “It’s important for him and for us, too. When he’s playing well, the team plays well. He transmits an important and positive energy to the group. He’s always in very good form come the end of the season. He’s got an eye for goal and he’ll never lose that.”

Ronaldo has scored at least one goal in his last eight matches in all competitions. He has 21 goals in his last 11 games.

“He’s unbelievably ambitious and that comes across in every training session and in everything he does on the field,” Zidane said. “If he has a penalty in training, he will take it with the maximum concentration. It’s what makes him different from the rest.”

Ronaldo is trying to keep Messi from winning the top-scorer’s “Pichichi” trophy for the second consecutive year. The Argentina forward scored 37 league goals last season, 12 more than Ronaldo.

Ronaldo hasn’t won the award since 2014-15, when he had 48 goals. That was still shy of Messi’s record of 50 goals in 2011-12.

Despite’s Ronaldo’s impressive run, Madrid’s chances of repeating as league champion remain slim. Madrid trails Barcelona by 15 points after 29 matches. The teams will play again in May in a league match at Camp Nou. They could also meet in the Champions League semifinals or the final.

Messi scored twice against Madrid this season – in a 3-1 loss in the Spanish Super Cup final at the beginning of the season and in a 3-0 win at Santiago Bernabeu Stadium in a league match late last year. Ronaldo scored against the Catalan club in that Spanish Super Cup game.

Messi has scored at least a goal in his last six matches in all competitions. He has scored at least 25 league goals in nine consecutive seasons with Barcelona.

“Messi is the best player in the world and he shows it game after game,” Athletic defender Unai Nunez said after his team’s loss to Barcelona on Sunday.

Ronaldo has scored at least 25 league goals in the last eight seasons. He scored four or more goals in a match with Madrid eight times.

“He’s on unbelievable form at the moment,” Madrid forward Lucas Vazquez said of Ronaldo. “He helps the team with his work, goals and assists. Everyone benefits from it.”

Young’s resurgent play under Jose Mourinho earned him a return to the England set-up, with a November cap his first since 2013. He’s been named Man of the Match four times in Premier League play this season.

The versatile 32-year-old wide player is a left back who can man midfield on both sides of the field as well as right back.

He has 320 Premier League appearances in his career, and has hit the pitch 193 times in all competitions for United. He has 74 career goals with 107 assists, 16 and 38 of which have come in a Red Devils shirt.

United beat Brighton and Hove Albion on Saturday to clinch a place in the FA Cup semifinals, where it will face Tottenham Hotspur.

Mourinho is understandably under the microscope, but the work he’s done in restoring Ashley Young and Marouane Fellaini to previous form deserves credit.

Back to Wembley! Thanks to all the fans who came, conditions weren’t the best so appreciate the effort to be there 🤘🏾 pic.twitter.com/VA88zKEzZT

It’s an interesting list, with DeAndre Yedlin‘s 49 caps the most followed by Bobby Wood’s 36 and Darlington Nagbe’s 24.

And there are a bunch of “Who?” names for those who aren’t elbow deep in their knowledge of the U.S. player pool, so let’s dance with the ones Sarachan is bringing to North Carolina.

Andriya Novakovich is destroying the Netherlands second-tier, netting 18 times including six goals in his last five matches. Keeping in mind that even the country’s top flight is free-scoring, that’s impressive stuff from the former Reading man, a tall 21-year-old striker.

Shaq Moore became the first American to make a La Liga start since Oguchi Onyewu in 2013. The 21-year-old Levante right back got the playing time due to injury, making eight total appearances, but is back on the bench in recent weeks.

Antonee Robinson left Everton for a loan spell at Bolton Wanderers, and the 20-year-old could maybe, possibly, hopefully, please-sir-please be a long-term left back. It’s his first appearance in the U.S. set-up since 2014, and the English-American could start a recruiting battle should he continue his growth at Everton. He has five assists in more than 2,400 minutes between left back and left mid for Bolton.

Cameron Carter-Vickers is a name many in this space will know, but in case you don’t: The Spurs center back, 20, suffered through fits and starts in a Championship loan at Sheffield United, much like the club itself, which was cut short. Sent to Ipswich Town, “CCV” has been one of their finer players over the second half of the season.

And, just for fun, how might we see the Yanks line up in North Carolina?